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BSSC Webinar Series

The National Institute of Building Sciences Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC) will present webinars in 2016 sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

All of the webinars are free and open to the broad disaster community and the public. Topics and presenters are listed below. Additional dates, times and information on how to access to the webinar site will be broadcast in future announcements.

NOTE: The opinions expressed in the webinar presentations are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the BSSC, FEMA or USGS.

2016 BSSC Webinars

September 28, 2016Response Spectrum Analysis Method and Linear Response History Analysis MethodThe Response Spectrum Analysis (RSA) method has been widely used for the dynamic analysis of structures since the 1950’s. This webinar focused on updated requirements to both the RSA method and Linear Response History (LRH) analysis method in the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program’s (NEHRP) 2015 NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions and ASCE/SEI 7-16, Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures.James O. Malley, SE, senior principal with Degenkolb Engineers, addressed RSA procedures in ASCE 7, and Finley Charney, PhD, PE, professor of structural engineering at Virginia Tech and president of Advanced Structural Concepts, Inc., talked about the revision of Chapter 16 of ASCE 7-16 and moving LRH to Chapter 12. Download Malley’s presentation. Download Charney’s presentation. Download the LRH presentation.

Thursday, August 11, 2016Seismic Isolation Design with the 2015 NEHRP Recommended Provisions
Seismic isolation is perhaps the most effective method available for protecting structures from earthquake damage. The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) 2015 NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions for Buildings and Other Structures contain updated requirements for the design and testing of seismic isolation systems and the design of isolated superstructures. Presenter Andrew W. Taylor, PhD, SE, FACI, began with an introduction to seismic isolation theory and systems, followed by a review of the seismic isolation design process, with emphasis on the revised requirements in the 2015 Provisions. He presented a design example, and closed the webinar with a discussion of the properties of seismic isolation systems, including the variability of properties and seismic isolation testing requirements. Download Taylor's presentation (PDF).

June 28, 2016
2015 NEHRP Design ExamplesPresented by Robert G. Pekelnicky, PE, a principal of Degenkolb Engineers in San Francisco, member of the BSSC Provisions Update Committee and chair of Project 17’s Acceptable Risk Work Group, this webinar provided an overview of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program’s (NEHRP) NEHRP Recommended Provisions: Design Examples, which are written to illustrate and explain the applications of the 2015 NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions for Buildings and Other Structures,ASCE 7-16 Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures and the material design standards referenced in both documents. Download Pekelnicky's presentation (PDF).

April 28, 2016 Nonlinear Response-History Analysis, presented by Curt B. Haselton, PhD, PE, professor of civil engineering at the California State University, Chico, highlights content in the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program’s (NEHRP) 2015 NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions and ASCE/SEI 7-16, Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures. Professor Haselton presents his research on Chapter 16: Nonlinear Response-History Analysis for the Design of New Buildings, which focuses on issues of ground motion selection and scaling, nonlinear structural modeling and collapse simulation, as well as the treatment of uncertainties (in both the ground motion and the structural modeling). Find out more. Download Haselton’s presentation (PDF).

2015 NEHRP Provisions Webinar Series

June 17, 20152015 NEHRP Provisions Overview, presented by David Bonneville, chair of the BSSC Provisions Update Committee (PUC) and senior principal at Degenkolb Engineers, describes the changes from the 2009 to the 2015 Provisions, and future directions based on issues and research recommendations. Find out more. Download the presentation.

September 15, 2015

S.K. Ghosh, president, S. K. Ghosh Associates Inc., presented Seismic Designs of Diaphragms to bolster the importance of new additions to the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program’s (NEHRP) NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures that more accurately address the appropriate design for building diaphragms. Find out more. Download the presentation.

Project 17 Webinar Series

June 25, 2015Introduction to Project 17: Development of Next-Generation Seismic Design Maps, presented by Ronald O. Hamburger, SE, chair of the BSSC Project 17 Planning Committee and senior principal with Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc., serves to prepare structural and seismological engineers and the seismic community to weigh in on the improvements in the science and coordination of the future USGS hazard and seismic engineering design value maps. Find out more. Download presentation.

July 2015
First of two additional Technical Webinars on Project 17 to provide more detailed technical presentations of the individual issues and solicitation of public feedback. Download presentations below:

July 2015
Second of two additional Technical Webinars on Project 17 to provide more detailed technical presentations of the individual issues and solicitation of public feedback. Download presentations below: